Look and look again: Poetic reflections on the work of David Fought

How do we articulate a moment when we fall in love with an object? That moment when you like it so much you want to ingest it – make it a part of you. How do we explain to others what beautiful things mean to us? To impart emotion that evolved through beauty is an old vocation. We put words on paper, we make meals to share, we sing song and we make objects. When do we first feel this? When do we first experience beauty? When do we first experience moments of elation simply because something is wonderful?

As a child you played in the mud while the sun went down. To close your eyes now and think of it, you know what that cold and wet feeling was like. The dirt and the water mixed together, caked under your fingernails, earth slipping through your tiny digits. It is time to go inside. Hands are washed, pajamas are worn and you climb into bed. A good night story and the nightlight is turned on. You run your fingers along the wall and feel the smoothness in conjunction with the textures of the plaster.  You remember this feeling as well. The wall moves for you. You may be small, but you suddenly feel sure you are strong enough to shift it. Look and look again.

You feel under the weather or have a day off. You are sleeping in. Upon waking up, you lay in bed, enjoying the silence. You stare at the walls and all the shadows sunlight is casting. So many colors within that white wall. You see gray and blue and yellow and brown. You close your eyes and sleep some more. This time when you open them, these shadows are in a new place. The light is different, but it is still there. You can rely on that change. These shadows move as you do, climbing out of the bed. Perspective shifts as your body does, and change happens once more. Look and look again.

By creating things that are beautiful, this action is in turn nurturing the world. A flicker of his impression is left behind. A glimmer of what he saw, what he felt, what he loved and wanted to share.  These are the bits and pieces we are left to ponder. He stares at the sun and the moon; fire and light; shadow and darkness. These mystical entities made real through solid forms of wire, paint and plaster. Look and look again.